LMP blasts Margaret Island tree cutting for tennis stadium

Green opposition LMP has slammed the cutting of trees on Budapest’s Margaret Island (Margitsziget) to make way for a tennis stadium to be built there.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, LMP lawmaker Antal Csárdi said authorities have started cutting down trees on the island despite President János Áder having recently sent back a law on the construction of the stadium to parliament for reconsideration.

Csardi said he will submit a public data request to the National Sports Centre and the Hungarian Tennis Federation for the release of their contracts with the government and the organiser of the ATP tennis tournaments.

József Gál, an LMP member of the City directorate, noted that earlier in the spring, parliament had approved a law that would have enabled the construction of a tennis stadium as high as 27m on Margaret Island without taking into consideration construction, environmental protection or flood protection regulations. However, the president returned the law over the absence of the necessary impact studies, he noted.

Gál insisted that the authorities had not obtained the necessary permits to start preparatory works for the stadium.

Photo: MTI

Source: MTi